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Itinatag ng Department of Labor and Employment o DOLE ang Maritime Labor Affairs Office o MLAO upang palakasin ang proteksyon at pangalagaan ang kapakanan ng mga Filipino seafarer.
Nilagdaan ni Labor Secretary Francis Tolentino ang Administrative Order No.283, Series of 2026, na nagtatatag sa MLAO bilang dedicated office sa ilalim ng Office of the Secretary, at magsasama-sama sa bagong tanggapan ang mga serbisyo para sa legal assistance, conciliation, dispute settlement, workers’ education at employment services para sa mga seafarer.
“Secretary Francis N. Tolentino has signed Administrative Order No. 283, Series of 2026, establishing the Maritime Labor Affairs Office (MLAO), a dedicated office under the Office of the Secretary that will consolidate legal assistance, conciliation, dispute settlement, workers’ education, and employment services for Filipino seafarers – The establishment of the MLAO reinforces the State’s mandate under the Constitution and Republic Act No. 12021, or the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, to protect the rights and overall welfare of Filipino seafarers and promote their full employment and equal opportunities in the maritime industry,” ayon sa mensahe ng DOLE na pinadala sa Radyo Veritas.
Alinsunod ito sa Republic Act No. 12021 o Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, na layong protektahan ang kanilang mga karapatan at kapakanan, gayundin ang full employment at pantay na oportunidad sa maritime industry dahil tungkulin pa ng MLAO na tiyaking mabilis at makatarungan ang paglutas sa mga claims para sa suweldo, benepisyo, at death at disability compensation, habang magbibigay rin ito ng libreng legal assistance sa mga nangangailangan.
Palalakasin din ng DOLE ang skills upgrading, employment referrals, job fairs at livelihood programs para sa mga displaced, repatriated, retiring o injured seafarer at kanilang mga pamilya.
“The MLAO and its members shall ensure the fair, speedy, equitable, and just disposition and execution of decisions granting monetary awards for the salaries, wages, statutory benefits, and death and disability claims of seafarers. It shall coordinate the conciliation, mediation, and arbitration of seafarer employment disputes under the Single Entry Approach (SEnA) – The MLAO will also facilitate legal assistance services to ensure that no seafarer is deprived of representation due to financial incapacity. Seafarers who cannot afford counsel will be endorsed by the MLAO to the Labor Attorney’s Office, or, where the matter falls outside its mandate, to the Public Attorney’s Office, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines legal aid program, or accredited law school legal aid clinics.” bahagi pa ng mensahen ng DOLE na pinadala sa Radyo Veritas.
Ang hakbang ay umaayon sa diwa ng Laborem Exercens ni Saint John Paul II, na nagbibigay-diin sa dignidad ng paggawa at sa mga karapatan ng bawat manggagawa bilang bahagi ng karapatang pantao, sa pamamagitan ng MLAO, layunin ng DOLE na gawing mas accessible, coordinated at responsive ang suporta ng pamahalaan sa mga Filipino seafarer mula pre-employment hanggang post-employment.
